Die lifter



A. R. KULL DIE LIFTER June '2, 1964 Filed Jan.'25, 1961 4 Sheets-Sheet 1FIG I INVENTOR. ALBERT R. KULL ATTORNEYS A. R. .KULL

DIE LIFTER June 2, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 25, 1961 FIG lINVENTOR.

ALBERT R. KULL owmmmk womw ATTORNEYS A. R. KULL DIE LIFTER June 2, 19644 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Jan. 25, 1961 FIG 4 INVENTOR.

ALBERT R. KULL ATTORNEYS June 2, 1-964 A. R. KULL 3,135,397

DIE LIFTER.

Filed Jan. 25, 1961 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 FIG 6 INVEN TOR. H6 9 ALBERT R.KULL ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,135,397 DIE LIFTER Albert R. Kull,Beachwood, Ohio, assignor to The Ajax Manufacturing Company, Euclid,Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Filed Jan. 25, 1961, Ser. No. 84,886 1Claim. (Cl. 214-1) This invention relates as indicated to a novel dielitter, and more particularly to a device and to forging machinesutilizing the same whereby heavy dies may more readily be installed andremoved.

In forging presses, the dies employed therein may be very large andheavy so that a serious problem is encountered in properly positioningthe dies for installation therein. The working space is constricted,making manipulation of such heavy dies difficult, particularly inasmuchas they must be precisely located for attachment to the supportingbolsters and much time may be wasted in setting up a forging press forperformance of a new forging operation. Furthermore, manual placement ofthe dies may be unduly strenuous and even somewhat hazardous to theoperating personnel. In usual practice, the dies may be transported tothe machine on an appropriate buggy or the like and the lower die thenjockeyed from the buggy onto the forging press anvil where it issecured. The upper die is then shifted into position on such lower dieand the press ram brought down so that such upper die may be bolted tothe upper bolster by means of suitable clamping members. When the ram isthus in lowered position, however, the working space available is evenmore constricted and considerable difiiculty may be encountered ingetting the die into proper position. Frequently, at least two men maybe required thus to man-handle the upper die which in the case of alarge forging press may weigh as much as 1500 pounds, for example.

It is accordingly a principal object of this invention to provide aforging press having mounted thereon a device whereby the dies andespecially the upper die may be easily and quickly brought into properposition for installation and which may likewise be employed tofacilitate removal of the same from the press.

Another object is to provide a die lifter adapted to support a heavy diefor movement from conveying means such as a buggy or dolly into thepress while supporting the same in a manner facilitating properpositioning thereof for attachment to the ram bolster or anvil.

Other objects include providing such means which will much expediteinstallation and removal of the dies with greater safety and willrequire fewer workmen for the purpose.

Other objects of the invention will appear as the description proceeds.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, said inventionthen comprises the features hereinafter fully described and particularlypointed out in the claim, the following description and the annexeddrawing setting forth in detail certain illustrative embodiments of theinvention, these being indicative, however, of but a few of the variousways in which the principle of the invention may be employed.

In said annexed drawings:

FIG. 1 is a front elevation of a forging press in accordance with thepresent invention;

FIG. 2 is a vertical section taken on the line 2--2 of FIG. 1illustrating the bolsters and dies and their relative positions when theram is in its down position;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary side elevation of such forging pressillustrating the die lifter on a somewhat enlarged scale;

Patented June 2, 1964 FIG. 4 is a fragmentary front elevation of suchdie lifter;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary horizontal plan view taken substantially on theline 5-5 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary detail view of the arm mechanism on such dielifter;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary detail view of an alternative embodiment of thedistal end of such arm showing a magnet optionally mounted therebeneathfor lifting bottom dies;

FIG. 8 is a plan view of an attachment for such distal end; and

FIG. 9 is a side elevational view of the attachment shown in FIG. 8.

Referring now to said annexed drawings and more particularly to FIG. 1,it Will be seen that the present invention constitutes a forging press 1having die handling and elevating mechanism attached directly to theframe thereof, such forging press including a frame 2 in the form of anextremely large casting having four upstanding columns 3, 4, 5 and 6 atthe corners thereof. The base of the frame 2 is bolted directly to thefloor 7 as shown at 8. The four columns provide an opening 9 at thefront of the machine into which the work is inserted. The base or anvil10 includes a wedge 11 on which is mounted a bolster for the lower dieas hereinafter described. On the head of the frame 2, a drive motor 12is mounted to rotate drive shaft 13 through a plurality of drive belts14 entrained about flywheel 15. A pinion gear on drive shaft 13 rotatesbull gear 16 to drive crankshaft 17. A vertically reciprocable ram 18,driven by pitman 19 on such crankshaft 17, rides up and down in guidesprovided in the columns 3 through 6 of frame 2. Secured to the lower endof ram 18 as shown at 20 will be the upper bolster and die which willcome down upon the work positioned upon the lower die on the anvil toforge the same. The forging press illustrated is a 1300 ton Ajax Press,manufactured and sold by The Ajax Manufacturing Company of Cleveland,Ohio. It will, of course, be understood that the principles of thepresent invention will apply to any similar machine of the typeindicated wherein extremely heavy dies must be placed in cramped orhard-to-get-at quarters.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view illustrating the clamped positionof the upper die 21 mounted on bolster 22 which is in turn mounted onthe end 20 of reciprocating ram 18. The bottom die 23 is mounted onbottom bolster 24 which is mounted on anvil 10. Clamping members 25 and26 may be employed to hold the dies 21 and 23 respectivelyin the upperand lower bolsters 22 and 24. Bolts 27 and 28 of considerable length areemployed to hold the clamping members 25 and 26 in place. Kicker bars 29and 30 and die plates 31 and 32 may be employed in connection with suchdies. Also, it will be understood that several dies may be positioned inthe bolsters such as conventional buster, finish, and blocker dies.

It can readily be seen that the heads of the bolts 27 and 28 will onlybe an inch or so apart when the ram is in its full down position asindicated and such bolt 27 will be extremely difficult to place intoposition. If, however, the ram is raised, the task of holding andpositioning the die 21 with respect to the bolster 22 and adjusting thesame to align the openings with the bolt holes will be extremelydifiEicult and arduous. Moreover, the size of the bolsters 22 and 24which are similarly secured in the machine likewise makes theinstallation and removal of these an arduous task.

Since the ram 18 in the machine shown may have approximately a 10 inchstroke, it can readily be seen that the upper bolster 22 and top die 21can more easily be .9 installed after installation of the lower bolster24 and bottom die 23 if the ram is in its uppermost position.Accordingly, the forging machine improvement of the present inventioncomprises means properly to hold such heavy dies and bolsters so thatthey may readily be attached to the ram in its uppermost position spacedfrom the lower bolster and die. It will, of course, be understood thatthe bolsters and dies of FIG. 2 are for rectangular dies and thatcircular or other dies may equally well be provided.

Referring now to the press illustrated in FIG. 1 which shows thebolsters and dies removed, the improvement of the present inventioncomprises the die lifter generally shown at 46 preferably mounted on theforging press frame for functioning in the manner explained below. Suchdie lifter is mounted directly on the face of the column 3 of the frame2 and as seen more clearly in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, such die lifter includesa hydraulic piston-cylinder assembly 41, the blind end of which isfastened at 42 to a mounting bracket 43 which is bolted directly to theface of the machine frame column 3 as shown at 4. Piston rod 45 extendsdirectly downwardly from the assembly 41 and is threaded as at 46 to alarger diameter vertically reciprocable rod 47 confined for verticalreciprocation in bronze bushings 48 and 49 in mounting brackets 50 and51, respectively. Such mounting brackets are bolted directly to the faceof frame column 3 at shown at 52 and 53 in the same manner as bracket 43holding the blind end of piston-cylinder assembly 41.

An arm member 55 having welded thereto a vertically extending collar 56is pinned through such collar rod 47 as shown at 57 within the limitsprovided by the brackets 50 and 51. Such arm 55 includes a reinforcingweb 53 welded between the arm 55 and the collar 56 to provide rigidity.

Now referring more particularly to FIG. 6, it will be seen that thedistal end of the arm 55 is provided with a circular tip 60 having acentral vertical aperture therethrough for pivot pin 61. Arm extension62 is provided with a split or U-shape proximal end having a top portion63 and a bottom portion 64 straddling the tip 60 of the arm 55. Alignedapertures in the top and bottom portions 63 and 64 accommodate the pivotpin 61 and radial bearings 65 and 66 are provided at the top and thebottom of the pivot pin and thrust bearing 67 is provided in the top ofextension 62.

As seen perhaps more clearly in FIG. 5, the distal end of arm member sois provided with two upstanding ears 70 and 71. A pin 72 extends throughsuch ears 70 and "ii and through ear 73 on arm extension 74 positionedtherebetween. Tubular arm extension 74 is provided with a transverseaperture 75 whereby a locking pin 76 may be inserted through suchextension to hold die lifting fixture 77 therein, the latter being shownmore clearly in FIGS. 8 and 9.

Now referring to FIG. 6, the arm portion 62 has two blocks 80 and 81welded to the bottom thereof with a rod 32 extending therebetween. Suchrod extends through an aperture 84 in block 81 to abut against webmember 85 welded to the bottom proximal end of arm extension 74. Acompression spring 86 has one end received in recess 87 in block 80 andthe other end abutting against plate 88 held by nut 89 threaded on rod82. The end 90 ofthe rod 32 is also threaded to receive nuts 91providing a stop adjustment for the longitudinal position of the rodwith respect to the block 80. Adjustment of the nut 89 provides for anadjustment of the spring pressure provided by spring 85. It can now beseen that the overall arm is articulated about both a vertical axis(pivot 61) and a horizontal axis (pivot 72) giving such arm the desiredflexibility of movement.

Since the arm extension 74 is pivoted to the arm extension 62 at 72, thespring 86 will tend to move the rod' 82 to the right through aperture 84abutting against web 4 85, tending to pivot arm extension 74 upwardly orin a counterclockwise direction about the pivot 72 as viewed in FIG. 6.Normally, the weight of the die on fixture 77 will pivot the arm 74 in aclockwise direction against the pressure of spring 86 until the web 85abuts against block 81. The pressure of spring 86 can be adjusted sothat mere manual hand pressure in addition to the pressure of spring 86is all that is required to pivot the die, fixture 77, and arm 74 aboutthe pivot 72 to raise the die slightly manually to position it againstthe ram and align the bolt holes and clamp holes.

FIG. 7 illustrates an optional tip for arm extension 74 wherein thetubular arm 93 is provided with a solid end portion 94 having anaperture 95 therein to accommodate a bronze bearing 96 having a tophorizontally extending flange 97. Such bronze bearing 96 will, ofcourse, be revoluble within the aperture 95 and a die fixture mayreadily be inserted therethrough to provide a support for the dierotatable about a vertically extending axis. The

.can readily be supported on the seats 104 and 105. The

particular shape of the die handling fixture will, of course, widelyvary depending upon the shape of the die employed. As shown in FIG. 7,an electromagnet M may be clamped or bolted to the underside of thefixture or arm, such magnet being of a strength sufiicient to support adie or bolster beneath the fixture. This form of the lifting devicewould, of course, be especially helpful when positioning the lower dieor bolster. Also, the magnet may be employed more firmly to hold a dieor bolster on the top of the arm or fixture. In FIG. 7, it will,of'course, be understood that the arm extension 93 can readily beinverted to place the magnet on top.

A fixture to hold the die may be in the form of onehalf of the forgingto be produced which then is mounted on the end of the arm. Such fixturemay easily be obtained by sawing a forging horizontally in half.

The length of the arm 55 from the rod 47 to the pivot 61 places thefixture 77 approximately in the center between the ram and anvil of themachine. Since the rod 45 and the piston atached thereto within cylinder41, as well as the rod 47, may easily rotate about its vertical axis inbronze bushings 48 and 49, the entire device may then pivot from thefull line position shown in FIG. 5 to the phantom line position shown at106. The arm joint provided by a pivot pin 61 permits the arm section62, 73 both to be inserted into the machine as shown in full lines andto lie against the side of frame 2 when not in use. In such phantom lineposition, the

. fixture will be out of the way during the operation of the machine.

Convenient operation of the piston-cylinder assembly 41 may be obtainedby use of air pressure supplied through line 110. A control valve 111provided with a handle control 112 may be employed to control thepressure supplied through line 113 to air-over-oil hydraulic cylinder114 which may be bolted directly to the face of column 3 as shown at115. Hydraulic line 116 then connects cylinder 114 with the blind orlower end of piston-cylinder 41. Flow control valves 117 and 118 may beprovided in lines 113 and 116 respectively to control the rate of ascentand descent of the lifter. With such a control mechanism, 80 pounds ofair pressure, for example, will lift a 1,000 pound load. The valve 111will include three positions; one admitting air to the system to raisethe lifter; one holding the lifter by locking the fluid in the system;and one exhausting air to permit the lifter to move downwardly of itsown Weight. The piston-cylinder assembly 41 may preferably have a fiveinch bore and a 20 inch stroke when the height of the window or opening9 in the machine frame between the bottom of the anvil bolster and thetop of the ram bolster or the bottom 20 of the ram 18 is approximately20 inches, and it can readily be seen that the piston-cylinder assembly41 can lift the fixture 77 and the die thereon through the entire heightof the opening. 1

With the die lifter illustrated, the lower die may be installed beforeor after the upper die, as desired, using the lifter also. The dies willbe slid oif of the dolly onto the fixture at the end of the arm and thenswung into the press mouth. Such dies may readily be manipulated once onthe fixture and may even be raised somewhat manually with the assistanceof the spring 86. The die will then be attached by clamps or bolts whenthe ram is in its up position, there being quite sufiicient clearancethen and once the die is swung in place and secured the arm will belowered and then swung to the dotted line position 106 shown in FIG. 5.

It will thus be seen that an improved forging press and die lifter havebeen provided facilitating the installation and replacement of the diesand die bolsters in a safe and expeditious manner.

Other modes of applying the, principle of the invention may be employed,change being made as regards the details described, provided thefeatures stated in the following claim or the equivalent of such beemployed.

I, therefore, particularly point out and distinctly claim as myinvention:

A die lifting attachment for vertical forging machines comprising avertically disposed piston-cylinder assembly adapted to be mounted onthe frame of such machine and having a piston rod extending verticallytherefrom, a verr 6' tically extending pivot rod secured to said pistonrod for reciprocation and coaxial rotation therewith, vertically spacedaligned bearing means for said pivot rod adapted to be mounted on theframe of such machine, a generally horizontal arm secured to said pivotrod between said bear ing means for reciprocation and rotationtherewith, a die lifting fixture on the end of said arm, said armincluding three articulated sections, the two innermost sections beingarticulated for relative movement about a vertical axis, thrust bearingmeans joining said two innermost sections at such vertical axis, the twooutermost sections being articulated for relative movement about ahorizontal axis, spring pressure means acting on the outermost of saidsections tending upwardly to pivot said fixture to facilitate the manuallifting of a die held thereby, means mounting said fixture on theoutermost of said sections for inversion, control means for saidpiston-cylinder assembly having an air-over-oilcylinder, manuallycontrolled air valve means for operating said air-over-oil cylinderthereby to operate said piston-cylinder assembly whereby said pivot rodand thus said arm can be raised or lowered or held in desired elevatedposition, and a magnet included in said fixture, whereby such die can besupported above such magnet or suspended therebeneath when said fixtureis inverted.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS613,741 Vaughn Nov. 8, 1898 1,819,842 Moore Aug. 18, 1931 2,381,656Eksergian Aug. 7, 1945 2,545,799 Snow Mar. 20, 1951 2,874,853 DammertFeb. 24, 1959 2,925,016 Walter Feb. 16, 1960 2,940,611 Burch June 14,1960

